Tuesday, March 18, 2008
'Stop-Loss' Syndrome?
I saw an interesting bit of pop culture today that got me thinking--the trailer for a new movie called Stop-Loss. There have been a lot of films critical of the Iraq debacle, mostly documentaries such as the award-winning Fahrenheit 9/11, or the more critically-acclaimed No End in Sight and the must-see, superior Why We Fight. These are all good or great films, but they are at the end of the day tailored to a predictably liberal, anti-war audience. They generally preach to the choir.
What struck me about the trailer for Stop-Loss was the seeming audience--red-state, middle America. The visuals, the music, the themes were 100 percent NASCAR nation.
The film title itself refers to the deplorable military contractual clause where in times of crisis the services can bolster their depleted ranks by keeping troops who have finished their agreed-to service of contract on a bit longer than they thought--and of course send them back to the worst possible places, regardless of their last deployment. And, on Hollywood cue, conflict and mayhem ensues.
Its a great bit of film history that movies critical of a particular war tend to come out well after the conflict has ended. And even then they will likely be controversial, such as France's 1919 J'Accuse, about the horrors (and ultimate futility) of World War I. All Quiet on the Western Front is better known, especially as it was one of the first works banned by the war-glorifying Nazis upon their rise to power. There were many years between the final shots of the Vietnam War and the production of Coming Home or the exquisite The Deer Hunter (Local note: best Pittsburgh movie ever, though Wonderboys is up there).
But how will this anti-military, anti-government film play in the ill-named 'flyover-states?' My guess is it will do OK. The thing that remains to be known at this point is what the end results will be. Easy Rider changed my mind as a teen (wrongly, or rightly?) about travel through the south. Will Stop-Loss begin to change rural and small town America's willingness to send its sons and daughters into military service, given a potential 100-years in Iraq? And thus, if it is well-received, could such a pop culture film impact our upcoming election?
I saw an interesting bit of pop culture today that got me thinking--the trailer for a new movie called Stop-Loss. There have been a lot of films critical of the Iraq debacle, mostly documentaries such as the award-winning Fahrenheit 9/11, or the more critically-acclaimed No End in Sight and the must-see, superior Why We Fight. These are all good or great films, but they are at the end of the day tailored to a predictably liberal, anti-war audience. They generally preach to the choir.
What struck me about the trailer for Stop-Loss was the seeming audience--red-state, middle America. The visuals, the music, the themes were 100 percent NASCAR nation.
The film title itself refers to the deplorable military contractual clause where in times of crisis the services can bolster their depleted ranks by keeping troops who have finished their agreed-to service of contract on a bit longer than they thought--and of course send them back to the worst possible places, regardless of their last deployment. And, on Hollywood cue, conflict and mayhem ensues.
Its a great bit of film history that movies critical of a particular war tend to come out well after the conflict has ended. And even then they will likely be controversial, such as France's 1919 J'Accuse, about the horrors (and ultimate futility) of World War I. All Quiet on the Western Front is better known, especially as it was one of the first works banned by the war-glorifying Nazis upon their rise to power. There were many years between the final shots of the Vietnam War and the production of Coming Home or the exquisite The Deer Hunter (Local note: best Pittsburgh movie ever, though Wonderboys is up there).
But how will this anti-military, anti-government film play in the ill-named 'flyover-states?' My guess is it will do OK. The thing that remains to be known at this point is what the end results will be. Easy Rider changed my mind as a teen (wrongly, or rightly?) about travel through the south. Will Stop-Loss begin to change rural and small town America's willingness to send its sons and daughters into military service, given a potential 100-years in Iraq? And thus, if it is well-received, could such a pop culture film impact our upcoming election?
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